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Rating: THE REVIEW
2005: The important label Century Media signs the Swedish black metallers Naglfar who, after showcasing their talents with 3 albums, now arrive at their fourth full-length release, "Pariah".
The band, without their former singer Jens Ryden, who moved to Stockholm for study reasons, was immediately joined by another prominent figure in the Swedish black metal scene, the bassist Kristoffer Olivius, already the leader of their fellow countrymen Setherial. The loss of the founder is sometimes tough, but the remaining trio did not give up, maintaining the excellent capabilities of the band. Let's cut to the chase and talk about the CD.
The intro "Proclamation" opens with, "your flesh is now ours" narrates Kristoffer. About 40 seconds and it transitions to the incredibly aggressive "A Swarm of Plagues": relentless riffing and colossal drum and bass work. From the outset, it's clear that Kristoffer's bass and vocals (almost identical to Jens) will not make anyone miss the latter. A good keyboard break during the initial moments of Swedish fury. "Spoken Words of Venom" the infernal song: black metal brilliance riffs combined with ultra-fast drum rhythms, Kristoffer completes the rest. The lyrics stand out for their negativity, "My eyes are the mirrors that reflect your death [...] "The ground that you walk is the ground where you'll die". With the next tracks "The Murder Manifesto", "Revelations Carved in Flesh" and "None Shall Be Spared", there are not many personality traits, but the quality of composition remains high. Then we move to the next (beautiful) 2 tracks: "And The World Shall Be Your Grave", crazy riffs, diabolic voice, almost non-existent bass, and fast drums, excellent even if they don't go overboard.
"The Perpetual Horrors" is the most original track of the CD, on which a great video was also made. Our guys, besides the Naglfarian sound, dare to blend in with trash melodies. It concludes with "Carnal Scorn & Spiritual Malice" a more intricate episode, where the disarticulations of the dear Borknagar are perceptible. In conclusion, "Pariah" may not reach the heights of the first 2 works "Diabolical" and "Vittra", but it is a good album, also because it includes new additions like keyboard inserts and the touches of thrash melodies, which were missing in the discography of the four.
Recommended to fans of Dissection and Dark Funeral.
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Summary by Bot
Naglfar's fourth album, Pariah, showcases the band's resilience after a lineup change with Kristoffer Olivius on vocals and bass. The album maintains strong black metal roots while incorporating thrash melodies and keyboard textures. Key tracks like "A Swarm of Plagues" and "The Perpetual Horrors" highlight this blend. Although it may not surpass their earlier masterpieces, Pariah remains a solid release recommended for fans of Swedish black metal.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
